The Attitude Unworthy
"Dartmouth commenced riding toward a new era on a prancing mare. This April morning, however, we find ourselves enroute rocking a hobby-horse. Unless we step from our wooden charger to earth, the College in the future will be a much less vigorous force than it has been in the past.
"Dartmouth to the outside world means the flesh which is the undergraduate body. Within this body a steady disintegration of the real Dartmouth is going on. This disintegration is cloaked by a self-satisfied lethargy.
"Dartmouth trusted our generation with a heritage of accomplishment, verve, respect. Astride the hobby-horse, we undergraduates are letting that heritage decay. Unless the representative men now in the College assert themselves, the Dartmouth of the future will not be worthy of the real Dartmouth. We must wake up, come down to earth. If we do not, this smug complacency will spread and be perpetuated.
"Within three years the spirit which characterized Dartmouth and Dartmouth men to the outside world, has virtually disappeared. The individuality which was Dartmouth has vanished. The College is sinking fast into the rut of stereotype which marks many another such institution in the country. Here in the heart of nature, we are trying to become metropolitan.
"We have sought to answer all questions by cold intellect. Because intellect has been insufficient to explain the basic loyalties—we have cast them aside. Because the narrow intellectual outlook does not justify sentiment and verify the worth of emotion, we have emptied life of beauty. Fascinated by reason and tolerance, we have snatched at reason as the only answer to life and have perverted tolerance.
"The symptoms of the insufficiency of our cold intellectual processes alone to answer even the minor questions of life at Dartmouth at present are:
"1—We are wholly self-centered. Though in the past Undergraduates were happy to lose themselves in something higher than themselves occasionally, we of today think first and last and again only of our petty selves. We respect nothing that transcends us, home or College or country—because cold intellectualism by itself shuts out the beauty of such loyalties. The Spirit of the College today is a spark where it was a flame. Acknowledge this spirit and you will be greeted by a condescending smile.
"2—The pressure for pretending in too many instances is breeding hypocrisy. The man who unashamedly is his natural self too often is either ignored or ridiculed. He who really is a source of amusement—the sham aesthete, the dilletante, the pseudo-intellectual—is taken seriously. The poseur reigns. We outlaw emotion. We encourage hypocrisy.
"3—Application in any field is belittled. Though extra-curriculum activities no longer attract numbers of men, no corresponding general increase in scholastic accomplishment is apparent. We boast of our new intellectualism, but our scholarly endeavor fails utterly to justify the boast. We loaf and take ourselves very seriously, but do not take work seriously. The application necessary for sincere interest in the arts or politics is dodged. Round Table lectures and discussions have not had a worthy audience this year. The Arts lectures are attended, judging from the conduct of the audiences, more out of curiosity or a desire to be amused than for sincere aesthetic interest.
"4—We have lost our sense of humor and joy in living. Enthusiasm provokes derision. Spontaneity is taboo. The individual who wants to have "fun" meets raised eyebrows. "Fun" is youthful and we very mature college men think we are supposed to have put aside the whims of youth.
"5—Democracy is dying in Hanover. Within undergraduate groups there are growing up recognitions based on financial distinctions.
"6—Dartmouth good fellowship has passed. The campus atmosphere does not even resemble that of three years ago. The first and best impression the Class of 1926 received of Dartmouth as freshmen was made by the friendly "Hello," as one man passed another. Whether or not you knew a man's name made no difference. Today if you say "Hello" to a man you do not know, you are labelled a politician.
"7—Consideration for seniors is a thing of the past. Three years ago a senior's opinion carried more weight than that of an underclassman, but today he is not even listened to. One of the most amusing phenomena of the present Dartmouth is the condescension of sophomores and freshmen toward conclusions of upperclassmen.
"8—The Class of 1928 is not cognizant of its position in the undergraduate body. Too many new men are overwhelmed by ideas of their own importance. Freshmen rules are repeatedly ignored by these.
"These are a few of the unfavorable characteristics of the new Dartmouth, which is supposed to be replacing that College which graduated the leading personalities behind Dartmouth today.
"If the supercilious attitude which condones such perversions is representative, then the fibre of the College is rotting.
"The Dartmouth does not believe this attitude is universal. Nor is it malicious. "Thoughtlessness is responsible.
"It is not too late. The evil lies in the present complacent attitude, which will be changed as soon as the real inwardness of the situation becomes more apparent. And this change of attitude will be manifested in two ways:
"First: The fact that cold intellect alone cannot answer the question of life, that we must allow for emotion in any balanced outlook on life, will be recognized and will guide us in our relations with each other and the College.
"Second: The undergraduate will be relieved of the pressure for pretending. He can be really himself, without being derided.
"Many desirable changes will follow. The majority of us will unashamedly take some pride in Dartmouth in class. Hypocrisy will not be encouraged. Application will be respected. We will find our sense of humor. The taking of a man more for himself rather than for the clothes he wears will be firmly established. The return of the "Hello" as one student passes another may result, because most of us appreciate fellowship. This does not mean artificiality. Neither does it mean that pressure will be brought to bear to force it, only that if a man wants to speak there will be no pressure against his doing so. The boor, cad and cheat will no longer be tolerated. Traditions will be evaluated. "That is the Dartmouth we want to see.
"Let us step from the hobby-horse to earth. Let us shift our attitudes to bring to reality the Dartmouth idealized down in the cities. Make Dartmouth our own. Restore its individuality. Justify its spirit.
"Bring significance to Dartmouth."
There is no reason for the alumni to feel alarmed that the trend threatens to become permanent and to characterize the College. On the other hand, the reception received by the campaign denies this flatly.
At once there ensued repeated discussions as to the validity of the assertions. To some extent, the reception of the editorials verified the truth of the general conclusion—that a complacent lethargy had come over the undergraduate body. For many said,
"Yes, it's all true, but what about it?" In other words, no general inclination was had to assert group opinion against it. This changed shortly, however, as the daily expansion of the points warranted the truth of the situation. Freshmen themes began pouring in on the topic, showing the general interest of the new class; and general lightheartedness asserted itself in several ways.
The thought that the alumni should keep in mind relative to the present undergraduate body is that it is all potential, capable of a lot of stuff—if it only works out of its present lethargy. And that is just what is happening today. Little by little evidences are cropping up of the general willingness to return to the spirit of a lot of hard work and a lot of hard play, which characterized Dartmouth before.
In other words, The Dartmouth is trying to make it possible for a man to be natural without being derided. This means doing away with the unfavorable phases only of last year's awakened intellectual interest, that is getting rid of pseudo-aestheticism, sham intellectualism, tolerance wrongly applied and captious criticism. The Dartmouth each day through the spring intends to keep this general plan of attack, with optimistic diversions now and then—if the general trend is sensed as needing such.
By keeping in touch with The Dartmouth day by day, the alumni will be able to sense the true general life of the campus. For it is that, instead of the physical parts of the College—those with Dartmouth year after year which is to receive more attention. This means that the undergraduate attitudes are to be evaluated as often as seems necessary.
Sigma Alpha, a new local fraternity, has just been recognized unanimously by the Interfraternity Council. This addition to the fraternities raises the list to 25 on the campus. Already the new chapter has petitioned for recognition and admission to one of the national fraternities.
Under the tentative rushing rules drawn up for next year, no freshman will be allowed within a fraternity house; no pledges will be considered binding at all and in general an effort will be made to break down the barriers between upperclassmen and freshmen heretofore raised by the first-year rushing season.
Frederick Hurd '26 recently was elected president of the Dartmouth Christian Association for the next year. He hails from Jamaica Plain, Mass.
This brings the 1926 Palaeopitus to five men, including E. C. MoClintock, manager of track; J. P. St. Clair, manager of the Musical Clubs; D. J. Worthington, manager of football; Fred Hurd, president of the Christian Association; and E. J. Duffy, editor of The Dartmouth.
An Interfraternity . Swimming Meet is now going on.
J. C. McAvoy, of Phoenixville, Pa., recently was elected president of the Class of 1928. Other officers are: Vice-president, C. N. Proctor; secretary, Leßoy Milliken; and treasurer, D. A. Benjamin.
Fifty undergraduates are planning to visit Europe via the cattle boat this summer.
Vladimir de Pachmann recently rendered several charming selections from Chopin to a large audience in Webster Hall.
Spring Shadows
